Customer Reviews

Return of the Warrior (Brotherhood of the Sword, Book 2)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

So far this read has been my favorite in the "Brotherhood of the Sword" series. Christian of Acre is a wonderful hero who will touch the reader. Adara is a perfect complement to him and their romance is touching to read.

Christian of Acre is known as the Abbott to his fellow breathern. His job...keep those safe that can't do for themselves. He has known love from his parents, and he is also more than familiar with the pain of it's loss. He has put his heart behind many a wall in order to protect it from further pain. He was not counting on a Adara his wife to come and force him to accept all that he is. For doing so could cost him more than he is willing to give. He doesn't want the responsiblites of being King to Adara's Queen and ruling a country he doesn't even call home. But Adara won't take no for an answer. Instead she sets seige to his heart knowing there can only be one outcome. She must win.

Adara has forever kept in her heart the one memory of Christian. She longs to know the love that she knows he can give. Her childhood was fraught with pain and suffering. She has never known the emotion and now that she needs her King by her side she is done waiting for his return. She sets off to look for her long absent husband. She must bring him back in order to end the scheming of one man that has brought so much pain to so many in his quest for a crown that is not his to take. Will Christian accept Adara and all she has to offer, or will this damaged knight walk away from the one person who will love him always?

This book made me laugh, and cry. Adara and Christian are one of my all time favorite romantic couples. Ms. MacGregor (Sherilyn Kenyon) has deftly woven a story that will capture the readers interest from the first page. This is a very sensual but emotional read. These are truly characters that the reader will come to care about and they will stay with them long after the final page has been read.

In the Kingdom of Taagaria, Queen Adara worries that the neighboring monarchy Elgedera, ruled by the Regent Selwyn, will force her to acknowledge that his nephew her spouse Prince Christian is dead and she must marry his son Basilli. Desperate she needs her spouse and demand he either come home to rule over both lands, make her pregnant or allow her to divorce him and marry someone else. Adara's cousin Thera agrees to pretend to be her temporarily.

A few months later, a naked Adara meets Christian in England hoping to claim him as hers. Although tempted, he rejects her, but is shocked when she proves they were married as children. She pleads with him that she needs him to secure her country's borders from his uncle and cousin and that his uncle killed Christian's parents and left him for dead in the monastery.

After a few attempts on their lives, Christian concludes he must take Adara home and become king, but not stay or begat a child into this dangerous ugly world. She has the Europe crossing to persuade him that love beautifies the world.

The second Brotherhood historical novel (see A DARK CHAMPION) is an engaging medieval romance starring a strong lead couple and ably supported by a solid secondary cast especially the mysterious Phantom and the Fool. Although the villains fail to live up to their reputation and it is doubtful that so many foreign soldiers could wander England without an alarm being raised, the story line grips the reader as danger accompanies the crossing. Fans will take immense delight with RETURN OF THE WARRIOR and want Phantom's tale soonest.

Harriet Klausner

HISTORICAL ROMANCE IS NOT MY USUAL GENRE, BUT I ENJOYED THIS BOOK SO MUCH THAT I AM PLANNING TO READ MORE BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR.

While browsing in the bookstore, I decided to give it a chance. If you don't want to miss out, you should too. This book had everything you need to create a good romance: a dashing hero, a beautiful heroine, a person who always seems to interfere with the hero and heroine, and, most of all...PASSION! The relationship between the leads is endearing. Engaging characters, attention to historical detail, and humorous dialogue will kept me reading long into the night. Time flew by while reading this book. The interaction between the leads was great. There is enough conflict to make the story line interesting and not so much that your left wondering why they ever got together. Kinley MacGregor knowledge of the period paints such vivid pictures that her readers feel they're a part of the action, and the underlying sexual tension will leave you squirming in your chair. THIS ONE HOT BOOK! This book was downright hilarious in parts, suspenseful in others, and steamy/super hot throughout. All in all, it was an extremely entertaining, fast-paced read. Kinley MacGregor makes you care about her characters and you find yourself rooting for them. One of things that make Kinley MacGregor such a great writer is that she does not short-change you on the secondary characters. Return of the Warrior was a wonderful escape.

The 1st of the series, A Dark Champion, dissapointed me, but this made up for it. I loved Christian's alpha-male hard as nails demeanor. A sexy hero! I was grateful she didn't hash out all the details of various characters again. Christian's charater was introduced in the 1st of this series, yet my memory of him was just: a prince they called Abbot. That proves the waste of time in introducing a bunch of characters at once - who may or may not get their own story ... someday.

Characters 'play a part' in this and give a better showing of their personalities. As w/ Phantom busting onto the scene. Now that's what I want! I look forward to his story. I was half way through before I realised it. Exciting & funny.

I love Kinley's books. I love Knights and Scottish Highlanders. I love a hero and heroine that love each other and not afraid to fight about what the want. I love the passion.

This book had all that, so I Sigh.......and what for the next book.

...and that's saying something.

If you LOVE Kinley MacGregor and read everything that she writes (under this name or Sherrilyn Kenyon)... if you love the DarkHunter novels... if you loved A Pirate of her Own and A Dark Champion... PLEASE.. save yourself the heartbreak and do NOT read this book.

I don't know how such a wonderful writter could put forth such utter garbage, but I guess that everyone has their bad days.

I will site three reasons why I put the book down and will not finish it:
1. The female lead character is trying to have an intellectual conversation with her husband whom she met once briefly as a child and has never spoken to. She is trying to relay the fact that she is a forward thinking woman and has a forward thinking healer back in her kingdom. She says something about how her healer doesn't bleive in the body's humors because... he doesn't think they are right. Wow. With that kind of circular logic, I am surprised that they aren't all dizzy. That I could've over looked. It is easy to miss things when editing... right?
2. One of the other members of the Brotherhood actually says, "Later, my lady." Now, if he had been meant - I will speak to you later, my lady- that would've been fine, but he meant- goodnight, my lady. Okay. Even two editing mistakes can be made. Right? Right?
3. The hero is stabbed a half a dozen times. He is in a coma for more than a week. He eats nothing and only drinks what they can dribble down his throat. Everyone thinks that he will die. His face is bloodless and his hands are cold. He awakens and his wife is taken as a witch. (She looks like a Saracen... but no one seems to notice this unless they are trying to rape her or accuse her of being a witch.) So, he gets up, goes to the prison, gets her released, goes back to their tent, where he exercises his husbandly rights up against the center tent pole... all while "half dead" or so we are reminded several times. I am sorry. I don't mind if our heros are just a little too perfect, too adorable, too immortal... but this was just way over the top.

I will continue to read the Dark Hunter novels... afterall, they heal quickly and take place modren day, so aside from the idiotic logic in the first example, all would be well... but I will not be reading the next Brotherhood novel, which pains me. The other memebers of the Brotherhood deserve to have their stories told, but I don't think I could stand to have them told blindly with little or no thought. I would rather just make them up in my own mind.

Christian is a member of the Brotherhood, yet he is also prince to a land he's never seen. He was raised in a monastery before he was taken and now dresses as a monk so people will leave him alone. He's an excellent fighter, though, whose loyalties are only to the Brotherhood.

Queen Adara, betrothed to Christian as children, seeks her husband for her kingdom. She still remembers the young Christian she met as a child and dreams of him. Yet, things do not go as planned. Christian doesn't want to be tied down by anything or anyone and puts up quite a fight to get out of the marriage.

Christian sees Adara's attempts to bed him as her willingness to take anyone to help rule her kingdom. Once Christian realizes that it is HE Adara wants, things seem to turn into their favor. Yet, there are those who want the young prince dead and Christian and Adara must return to Christian's homeland to put a stop to the bad guys and take his Kingdom back.

This book has drama, love, and humor. If I had to pick a complaint it would be, without trying to spoil anything, Christian's 'recovery'. It seem a little rushed which is understandable considering what must be done.

I'll recommend this book and this series. It's worth a good reread.

This was my first book by Ms. MacGregor and it will not be my last. Her writing style is very easy and enjoyable to read and her characters have great depth. I found myself actually caring very much for all of them. Christian was very well written and his pain could really be felt. Adara was a very strong and compassionate queen, but her love for Christian really rang true.
Lutian was perfect. I laughed out loud at his comebacks. But, I have to agree with another reviewer, that I cannot wait to read more about Phantom. He was a sexy mystery.
I cannot say enough about this book. Just BUY IT!

Kinley MacGregor at her best, I loved this book. The Romance is very moving, I love a gentle man and a strong woman.